


A Greater Cause

by awkward_rotter



Category: PewDiePie - Fandom, jacksepticeye, markpilier, yamimash - Fandom, youtube - Fandom
Genre: Escape, Hostage Situations, Human Experimentation, Kidnapping, Protective Mark, Science Experiments, Septiplier - Freeform, Torture, eventual septiplier, jack gets hurt a lot
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-23
Updated: 2015-05-27
Packaged: 2018-03-19 07:03:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,460
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3600744
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/awkward_rotter/pseuds/awkward_rotter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Listen, I don't know what you're playing at, but it's not funny."<br/>"Who said this was a joke? This experiment is crucial for our data, and you're the final element we need to get it started."</p><p>OR</p><p>Mark, Aaron, Felix and Jack are kidnapped and taken somewhere by a man who calls himself the Director, for some 'experiment' they know nothing about. Will they survive all the tests and experiments? And if they do, will they ever be the same as they were before?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Strange Call & Waking Up

**Author's Note:**

> LOT'S OF ELEMENTS FROM THE MAZE RUNNER IN THIS.  
> Just a fair warning, I got the idea from reading the books and watching the movie so a lot of it will be similar. The Director is also very closely linked with Director Janson from TMR. However, the reason for the experiment is NOT the Flare!

Jack woke up with a weird feeling of unease nestled in the pit of his stomach. He sat up and stretched, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, but the feeling didn't fade.   _It's probably nothing,_ he thought as he got dressed, pulling his shirt over his head,  _It'll go away once I've eaten breakfast._ So, he left his room and went into the kitchen. Unfortunately, the toast and cereal did nothing to shake off the unease, which only made him more nervous. The house was quiet; not even the birds outside were singing, nor was there any wind. The atmosphere just unnerved him now. He was startled out of his reverie by his phone ringing loudly. He picked up his phone, and it was a random number.

"Hello?" He said, answering the call. There was silence for a few moments.

 _"Hello, Jack."_  The voice was raspy and whoever it was had a very American accent.

"Who are you?" Jack asked, "And how do you know my name?"

 _"My name is of no concern to you yet."_  The man almost snapped,  _"And we know yours because right now we have three of your closest friends held captive."_

"You... What?" His blood ran cold. This guy has to be joking right? 

 _"You do know Mark Fischbach, Felix Kjellberg and Aaron Ash do you not?"_  The man inquired, and Jack swallowed thickly.

"Listen," Jack tried to put on a strong voice, "I don't know what you're playing at, but it's not funny."

 _"Who said this was a joke?"_  The man scoffed,  _"This experiment is crucial for our data, and you're the final element we need to get it started."_

"What the fuck? An experiment? You're insane!" Jack exclaimed, anger swallowing him, "Fuck off!"

 _"You have five seconds before our people knock you out."_  The man stated firmly,  _"Spend them wisely."_  Then he hung up. Jack was frozen to the spot. He willed himself to push the fear away, thinking over and over again that it was just some stupid prank, but hearing slow footsteps coming up behind him was making his heart race all to fast.

 "Sleep tight." The voice behind him was the last thing he heard before immense pain erupted in his skull as the butt of the persons gun slammed into him. Within seconds the pain was gone and darkness replaced it. 

- **08:23am-Two Days Since the Phone Call-** **  
**

"Jack? Jack, wake up..." The voice was faint, but it filled his aching head, "C'mon bud, open those eyes of yours."

Jacks brow furrowed as he forced his eyes open. Everything was so blurry, but he could see someones face hovering over him. Blinking, things started to come back into focus. Mark was smiling down at him.

"Hey buddy." Mark said quietly. Jack frowned.

"Where... Where am I?" He asked, his voice hoarse. A pair of hands touched his shoulder and he snapped his head to the side, relaxing slightly when he realised it was Aaron. The Brit offered a small smile, helping Jack to sit up carefully.

"We don't know." Mark admitted. Jack looked at the room they were in, but it wasn't much of a room at all. It was more like a prison cell with dark stone walls and heavy duty iron bars making up one side, allowing them to see into the hall and the cell opposite them. The only light source being the small light bulb hanging from the ceiling. 

"I-Is Felix here?" Mark nodded in reply, gesturing to the rickety bed on the far side of the room.

"He's sleeping." Jack looked over to the bed and sure enough, curled up on the grey mattress was Felix with his back facing them. 

"How's your head?" Aaron asked softly and Jack reached up, touching the back of his head gingerly, only to wince when he felt the sting. 

"Hurts." He said simply, "Fuckin' idiot hit me with his gun."

"Really?" Mark seemed surprised, his eyebrows raising to his hairline, "They just nabbed us in our sleep and we woke up here."

"The only thing they really told us was that we were important for an experiment, but they kept calling you the main subject." Aaron explained, sitting against one of the walls, "Did they tell you anything different?"

"Uh... The dude called me and told me I was the final element to get their experiment started." He had a job on his hands remembering exactly what the damn guy had said, but it came to him easier after he remembered the initial call.

"Weird." Aaron muttered to himself, closing his eyes in thought, "They haven't spoken to us since. The guards bring us some shitty food and water then they leave."

"These guys have got to be insane." Jack whispered under his breath and the two men nodded solemnly in agreement. 

They were silent for a while after that. Every now and then, Felix was turn in his sleep, or Jack would touch the back of his head and grimace. This eerie silence was broke suddenly by a loud beeping noise. It woke Felix up immediately, the Swedish man jumping when the piercing noises broke him from whatever dream he was having. Mark stood up, walking towards the bars cautiously. His curious expression turned into shock and he looked at the others with wide eyes.

"It's him!" He said urgently, "The Director!"

"Shit!" Aaron jumped to his feet, Jack and Felix following suit, but Aaron had to quickly link his arm around Jack when the Irishmen was hit with a wave of dizziness and nearly fell back down.

The beeping stopped all at once. Now they could all hear the footsteps coming towards them as they waited with baited breath. So much suspense over something they barely knew anything about, a notion Jack found slightly irritating and yet he couldn't help the nervous fear filling him. By the looks of it, neither could any of the others. Eventually this 'Director' and who he assumed was the guys cronies came into full view in front of the bars.

"Good morning," The man said and Jack nearly spluttered when he recognised the voice as the guy from the phone, "As you all know, you are here as a part of our experiment. With Jacks presence we can now initiate Phase One."

"Can you just fucking tell us what this damn experiment is?" Mark snapped angrily, "We're not lab rats." The Director sighed exasperatedly, one of the guards offering him a long black stick with a forked end. With the subtle click of a button, the forked end lit up with electricity and the Director mercilessly jabbed it into Marks chest, which sent the man flying onto his back in the middle of the cell with a pained shout. Jack shook Aaron off and dropped to his knees by Marks side.

"You fuckin' bastard!" Jack shouted, placing his hand on Marks chest as the brunet squeezed his eyes shut, groaning lowly.

"Ah, Jack, it's good to see you still have some energy in you." The Director said, handing the contraption back to the guard, "My associate did hit you rather hard." Jack did nothing but scowl at the older man, before returning his attention to Mark.

"Why are you doing this to us?" Felix asked quietly from where he stood at the back. The Directors expression didn't change.

"Why, because the results of this experiment will be very beneficial." The Director looked at one of the guards and gestured towards the bars, "Seeing as though Jack seems so eager, we'll start with him."

Felix and Aaron instantly moved in front of Mark and Jack, glaring hatefully at the guard that slowly opened the door to the cell. The guard entered the cell and raised his gun to the two standing men. Neither backed down. The Director sighed again.

"If you don't move," He said slowly, as if he were talking to toddlers, "We'll just shoot him on the spot." Felix and Aaron's stony expressions faltered and they glanced at each other. Jack stood up cautiously, trying not to let the dizziness pull him back down.

"It's okay guys." He murmured, "I'll go. You take care of Mark." The two men in front of him gave him incredulous looks, but Felix backed down before moving to Marks side. Aaron looked from the Director to Jack in shock, but he drew his lips into a flat line and stiffly moved away. 

"Good to see one of you has some sense." The Director said in amusement. The guard fitted hand cuffs around Jacks wrists and pushed him towards the door. As soon as he was out, they shut it and locked it. There were two locks, a normal lock and a thumbprint scanner. 

As they walked down the corridor, Jack looked into the cells they passed. Bile rose in his throat. All the people looked either half dead or mutilated in the worst ways possible. Was this what was going to happen to them? Jack tried to expel the thought, but the images of those people and their voices calling out to him were burnt into his mind. He was sweating ans shaking horribly by the time they brought him to the destination. They opened the steel door and ushered him inside.

"Sit in the chair." One of the Directors associates ordered, her voice cold. He felt his handcuffs be removed and he rubbed his wrists as he wandered over to the metal chair in the centre of the room. It was clunky and attached to the arms and legs were leather straps. If he was doing a good job at hiding his fear before, he certainly wasn't now.

"Do as Dr Brooks says." The Director pressed and Jack shakily sat in the chair, "We're going to start off with some simple tests to record your brains reactions. We'll be filming this on the computers for future reference."

Jack found himself nodding in response. He couldn't find the strength to speak. The male Doctor came over to him with with a piece of cloth and a mouthpiece of some sort in his hands. Jacks eyes widened when two guards started to strap him into the chair, the male doctor wrapping one cloth around his eyes, leaving him blind. 

"Open your mouth." He complied without hesitation and nearly gagged when the mouthpiece was forced in. He bit down on it and it felt like a mouth guard Martial Artists would wear when they sparred. 

"Test A," The Director said and he felt two very cold pads be stuck to either side of his temple, "Electro Shock."

_Wait, what?_


	2. Watching & Learning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just so your're aware, a human can take up to 10000 milliamps of electricity but it is probable that they will die. At 150 milliamps it is extremely painful but death is still possible.

“It’s been too long.” Mark muttered angrily. Aaron nodded solemnly from where he sat by the bars, Felix didn't show any reaction.

“I hope they’re not hurting him.” Aaron said, but he knew deep down his words weren't helping. Mark rubbed his chin as he paced the room.

“I swear to God,” He said quietly, “If they've done anything to him…”

The three men jumped to attention when they heard footsteps echoing down the corridor. They’d never felt so much anticipation or fear before. It beat in their chests in unison with their hearts. The Director suddenly came into view, eyeing the three men carefully. He looked to the side and nodding silently before shifting back out of the way. A gasp caught itself in Marks throat when Jack was dragged into view. The two guards held the Irishman up by his arms, but Jack was doubled over and trying desperately hard to keep himself on his feet.

“His tests went well.” The Director stated. Mark glared at him heavily as the door was opened and Jack was thrown in. Aaron caught Jack swiftly, the brunette stumbling to his knees.

“Hey, hey, look at me,” Aaron whispered and Jack brought his head up to look at his friend, but his blue eyes were bloodshot and filled with tears, “What did they do to you, Jack?”

Jack merely shook his head, grimacing and lifting his hand to hold the side of his head with a whimper. Mark walked over, kneeling down with the pair and placed his hand on Jack’s shoulder. Mark felt his shoulders quaking under his hand and he realized with a heavy heart that his friend was crying, his face in his hands. Looking over his shoulder to the Director, he made sure to give the man the darkest look he could muster.

“Mark, you will be participating in the next test.” The Director said calmly and Mark stood up slowly. His eyes widened when he heard a yelp.

“NO!” Jack shrieked, throwing his arms around Mark’s legs, “No!”

“Get him.” The Director ordered and one of the guards briskly entered the cell, Mark moving to stop him but the guard pulled his pistol from its holster at his hip and aimed it at the trembling brunet whose arms were still tightly wrapped around Mark’s legs.

“Jack…” Mark mumbled, keeping his eye on the gun, “Let go.” Jack furiously shook his head.

“I won’t let them take you!” Jack cried into his leg. Mark sighed, his hand resting on Jacks head, fingers running through his hair gingerly.

“I’ll be fine,” Mark promised, “You just need to let me go.” Aaron shuffled forward, tugging on Jacks arm cautiously. Jack slowly released his hold, his wet eyes looking towards the guard emptily.

Mark walked towards the guard, but frowned when the gun remained pointed straight at Jack. The guards arm swung out and he heard a crack. Swinging around on his heels, he saw Jack laying on his side and cradling his cheek while Aaron and Felix shielded him from the guard, who simply put his gun away and turned to the exit.

“Good.” The Director said in satisfaction, “Nobody gets away with disobeying orders, but seeing as though you just came out of a test I’m willing to let you off with a bruise.”

Mark stared at the older man for a few moments in shock. He couldn’t believe it. They could hurt Jack right in front of him and he was helpless to stop it because they’d only hurt him more. Ignoring the hopeless feeling inside him, Mark made his way out of the cell after casting Jack a concerned look. Jack watched him leave fearfully, a red bruise already forming across his cheek. The door was shut after him and locked.

“The tests you will experience,” The Director began as they walked, “Will not physically harm you. They will require us to monitor your brain and your reactions to given stimuli.”

Mark didn’t reply, but the Director didn’t seem to care. They walked until one of the Directors little minions stopped in front of a steel door, opening it easily before they all entered. There was a set of big screens against the wall on the far side of the room, a single chair sat in front of them. The Doctor that opened the door was already by the screens, her fingers tapping against the big keyboard.

“Sit down.” The Director said, “The tests begin as soon as the first clip starts.”

Mark quietly walked towards the chair, sitting down just as the nerves started to overpower that hopelessness from before. A male doctor came over and with a solemn expression pressed a pad to either side of his head, the pads sticking to his skin and the wires hanging from them down the sides of his face. There was some sharp tapping as the woman typed at the keyboard, but other than that it was complete silence.

“We’re ready.” She said suddenly, a picture popping up on the screen.

“Then commence test B.” The Director ordered, in a reserved manner.

The next hour was spent watching various clips of experiments the Director and his ‘company’ had done previously. The disgust and horror he felt as he watched each clip of dismemberment, dissection and torture was unfathomable. Then he saw the last clip. His jaw dropped and his blood ran cold. The screen showed Jack strapped into a metal chair, blindfolded with some kind of gag in his mouth. He looked so scared. The Irishman’s chest was heaving a little and he was shaking. He heard a voice.

_“20 milliamps.”_ Said the voice, belonging to none other than the Director himself, “ _In three, two, one…”_

Mark flinched when Jack stiffened, his body seizing up and his hands gripping the arms of the chair tightly. They were electrocuting him. They cut the amps off, and Jack slumped in the chair, his head hanging.  The Directors voice came through again, this time saying, 25 milliamps. Mark watched in horror as Jack was electrocuted again and again, his body convulsing more with the increase of milliamps. Every now and then the brunet would let out a scream of agony through his clenched teeth and it made Mark feel sick. Eventually they reached 125 milliamps and when it was over, Jack slouched as usual but this time he didn’t appear to be breathing anymore. The clip stopped there.

“We have gathered enough information for now.” The female Doctor said. Mark’s ears were still ringing with the sounds of pain Jack was making.

“Good.” The Director said, “Let’s escort our subject back to his cell.”

Someone removed the pads from his skin, but Mark didn’t care enough to see who. He just stood up and walked to the door, trying not to break the Directors nose as he did. The door was opened and all Mark could care about then was getting back to his tortured friend back in that dreaded cell.

-Line Break-

“Jack…” Felix tested quietly, but Jack didn’t respond. He simply sat on the bed, his knee bobbing up and down constantly, “Jack?”

“Felix, leave him.” Aaron said in a warning tone, “What they did must have messed him up bad.”

“Sorry.” Felix muttered, watching Jack worriedly.

Running his fingers through his hair, Jack screwed his eyes tight shut and clutched his head. Did they put something in his head? God, he could feel it scratching his skull making a low buzzing noise in his ears. He heard someone calling his name, but he couldn’t look up. A pair of hands squeezed his shoulders and the buzzing got louder. He moved his own hands to his ears, trying desperately to block the sound out. The hands on his shoulders shifted up to his hands, the soft touch distracting him from the scratching under his skull.

“Jack… Look at me…” The voice was deep and familiar. Relaxing into it, Jack opened his eyes to find a pair of warm brown ones looking into them.

“M-Mark?” He whispered. Mark smiled and Jack lunged forward to wrap his arms around his friend, embracing him tightly.

“Whoa, easy there,” Mark chuckled, hugging the smaller man back, “I’m okay. They didn’t hurt me.”

“Thank God…” Jack breathed in relief, burying his face into Mark’s neck.

“I’m so sorry,” Mark muttered, his hand gripping Jack’s shirt, “They hurt you…”

“What did they do to you?” Aaron inquired and Mark pulled away from Jack slowly, sitting next to the Irishman on the bed.

“They, um, showed me lot’s of videos of the experiments they’ve done to people here.” He explained and Jack tensed beside him, “Some really… awful things have happened to people here.”

“Did you see…” Jack couldn’t even say it. Mark merely nodded.

“I’m so sorry you had to go through that…” Mark said, his voice wavering. Jack bit his lip.

“I’m just happy they haven’t hurt you.” Jack admitted softly and Mark fixed him with those warm eyes of his. Felix cleared his throat and the pair looked at him, startled. He nodded his head towards the bars of the cell and they realized that the Director was watching them.

“Tomorrow Jack will be participating in Test C. Felix and Aaron will be participating in Test D at the same time.” He spoke like he was reading it off a script, “You have the rest of the night to rest.” He left then, but not after giving Mark and Jack a lingering glance filled with curiosity.

“We’re doing a test…” Aaron repeated in confusion, “Together?” He looked at Felix, but the Swedish man simply shrugged in response.

Jack couldn’t think straight. He was going to have to do another test. The thought made him want to throw up; remembering the pain of electrocution and how it coursed through his very bones… He didn’t realize he was crying until Mark had collected him into his arms and he felt the hot tears sliding down his cheeks.

“I-I can’t…” He sobbed into Mark’s shirt, “I don’t want to… It hurt so much…”

“Shhh,” Mark comforted him gently, rocking him slightly, “I know, I know…”

Jack fell asleep an hour later. Mark laid the limp Irishman down onto the bed, rubbing his thumb across his red cheeks and wiping away the remaining tears that stained them. Sighing, Mark sat down on the floor and leaned against the side of the bed. Felix was asleep, but Aaron sat by the bars fiddling with a pebble.

“Do you think he’s going to be okay?” Aaron questioned quietly. Mark looked up at the Brit and wet his lips.

“Honestly, I don’t know.”


	3. Keys&Needles

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS CHAPTER IS SO BAD IM SO SORRY ;-;  
> I had a writers block and exams, I forgot where this was going! So sorry ;-;

Mark and Aaron woke up early. The American man looked at Jack with a tired frown. Jack was lying in the only bed, but he was shaking and very now and then his body would seize up completely with a desperate whimper before relaxing again. Mark sighed, walking over to Jack and squeezing the Irishman’s arm gently. Jack’s quick breaths calmed down and his quivering lessened a little. Aaron couldn’t help but smile warmly at the sight. Mark pulled away and sat against the wall by Aaron and Felix shifted slightly in his sleep.

“What do you think they’ll do to us?” Aaron questioned quietly. Mark shrugged.

“I don’t know…” He turned his head to the side to look at his friend, “I just hope it’s not too… bad.”

“I’m more concerned about Jack than myself, if I’m being honest,” Aaron admitted, picking at his sleeves nervously, “He’s going back in there alone.”

“All we can do is take care of him when he comes back.” His voice cracked and if Aaron noticed it then he made no effort to make a deal out of it. Instead, he just forced a smile.

“Yeah.”

“NO!” Both men jumped to attention when Jack sat bolt upright with an expression of pure terror, a scream escaping the brunets mouth before his clamped his hands over his mouth to drown it out. Mark shot over to him, reaching for his friends shoulders carefully.

“Hey, Jack, it’s okay, you’re okay,” Mark tried, but Jack was staring ahead with tear filled eyes that seemed to be flickering between something as if he was still inside a dream. Mark gripped Jack tighter and shook him lightly, “Come on, Buddy, snap out of it.”

Jack’s erratic breathing didn’t waver even as he dragged his eyes away from the wall ahead and they found Mark. It was like Jack had only just realized he was there. Blinking, the tears fell and it dawned on him where he was. Mark pulled him into a hug, which Jack didn’t make any effort to refuse. He just let himself cry into Marks shoulder while Aaron watched worriedly and Felix got up, still half asleep.

“I don’t want to go…” Jack whispered, “I c-can’t do it again…”

“I know,” Mark murmured, pressing his lips into Jacks hair. Felix and Aaron both quietly sat on the bed and the four of them were locked in a warm embrace for God knows how long. Eventually, an irritated cough could be heard through the silence. All of them, with the exception of Jack who made sure not to lock eyes with the Director, glared at the intruder with as much hatred as they could bring themselves to throw at the older man and his company.

“Before we start any of the tests we need to get something out of the way.” He signaled to his men and one of the doctors was let into the cell followed by a Guard who had a very daunting gun in his hands, “We need to have you… well, Micro chipped. They only just finished the software last night while you were asleep. The other chips were not… suitable for use during the kind of tests we have in store.”

The doctor had a small, metal hand gun contraption in his hand that had a thin needle on the end of the barrel. Jack tensed up in their arms and Mark rubbed his back comfortingly. Aaron and Felix both stood up reluctantly and the Doctor brought the gun to their necks one after the other, both of them flinching and gasping in pain when the chip was implanted into the backs of their necks. The doctor gestured for Mark and Jack to stand up, but Jack was frozen in place. Mark pulled away from him a little, his jaw tensing as the Guard took a warning step towards them.

“Jack, get up, they’ll only hurt you more if you don’t.” He muttered to his friend, but the smaller man didn’t respond.

“Step away.” The Guard ordered stoically. Mark glared up at him.

“Just… Let me talk to him, okay? He’s just scared.” He reasoned, lifting a hand in defense.

“I said,” The Guard reached to his belt and unclipped a short black rod, his thumb drifting over a barely visible button causing the rest of the rod to shoot out and the all too familiar hum of electricity to fill the air, “Step. Away.”

Jack suddenly pushed Mark away, his eyes wide. Mark eyed him warily for a few moments before he found himself standing up, shifting in front of Jack protectively. The chip being injected was a sharp, hot pain that burnt for a while afterwards, but Mark tried not to show how much it hurt for Jack’s sake. The Guard pushed him out of the way roughly and the doctor advanced towards Jack, who still sat on the bed looking like he was about to faint.

“Get up.” The Guard said coldly and Jack flinched, but made no move to stand up. Mark didn’t think Jack had the strength to do it. The Guard suddenly raised the rod and using the butt of it he slammed it into the side of Jacks face and Mark gritted his teeth, his hands clenching by his sides as he told himself not to wring the Guards neck for laying a hand on Jack.

The next thing he knew, the Guard was grabbing a fistful of Jacks hair and holding him down into the bed, resting his knee on the helpless mans hips. He held the electric rod dangerously close to Jacks swelling face and he whispered something that the three worried onlookers couldn’t hear. He released Jack angrily and stepped away from the bed. Jack slowly hauled himself off of the bed and waited patiently for the Doctor to do his job. The pain made Jack recoil and grip the side of his neck. The Doctor quickly left the cell. The guard however disabled the electric rod, clipping it to his belt before giving Jack a swift punch to the gut.

“Hey! What the hell!?” Mark exclaimed, catching Jack as he stumbled under the sudden blow.

“He disobeyed orders.” The Guard stated. Mark sent him a poison glare.

“Bring the three subjects out for testing. Leave Mr Fischbach.” The Director said calmly, as if he hadn’t just witnessed the abuse.

More of the Guards filed into the cell and handcuffed Felix and Aaron before escorting them out of the cell. Jack was forcibly lifted to his feet and pulled out of the cell. He still managed to look at Mark with those big blue eyes of his, all the pain and fear pouring out and filling the space between them with unspoken pleads for help and understanding mixing together. As Jack disappeared and Mark was the only person left, the cell was full of tension. Mark could only hope that his friends would be safe and that Jack… He hoped Jack would just be returned in one piece.

-Line Break-

Jack was lead to a small room where they laid him down on a metal surgical table. He started to shake when they strapped his ankles and wrists to the table. He started to find it difficult to breathe when they wheeled in a tray with an array of different needles set out. One of the glass cylinders contained a rather ironic green liquid. _Septic Eye,_ he thought to himself and he managed a small smile as he stared up at the light just above him, _I’m JackSepticEye… I can do this._

Elsewhere, Felix and Aaron had been left in a large room with absolutely no clue what they were supposed to do. They scanned the windowless room, slightly irked by how obnoxiously white it all was, when they noticed the metal boxes resting in every corner of the room and the metal holes slap bang in the middle of every wall. Was it some kind of weird puzzle? Was this an actual intellect test? Neither had any clue until they heard the Directors disembodied voice coming from the speakers embedded into the wall just above the door they were so casually shoved through.

**“The test is simple. You escape the room, the test is over, but there’s a catch. The longer you take, the more chemicals we put in your friend, Mr McLoughlin.”**

Aaron and Felix looked at each other in alarm, then fear and disgust unsettled their stomachs. This was either going to go well and Jack was going to get back to the cell in the best condition, or it was going to end up going horribly wrong and Jack would turn up half dead… Just thinking about it made them want to throw up.

**“If you don’t finish the test, Jack gets the electro shock treatment again. Are we clear?”** The Director didn’t leave any room for an answer, **“Good. Your time starts now.”**

The pair stood still for a few minutes, not even knowing where to start, when Aaron practically sprinted to the box closest to him and tried opening it with his bare hands, only to realize it was locked and fixed to the floor. Cursing, he drifted to the hole in the wall. It was big enough to put your hand in but not see what you were looking for. He glanced back at Felix to see the blond already with his hand buried into the metal hole on the other side of the room. They were both as eager as each other to get the test over and done with for Jacks sake.

“There’s something in this one,” Felix said. Aaron put his hand in the hole he was at without a second thought, his fingers brushing against something small and thin.

“This one too,” He said, taking the object in his hand, “It feels like a key.”

“This one does too.”

They both pulled out two keys. Aaron’s was silver and Felix’s was bronze. They looked around the room. The box on the left hand side of the door had a silver lock, the one on the other side of the door also had a silver lock, but the two opposite had bronze locks. They didn’t have to say a word; they simply separated and tried the keys on the boxes. Aaron’s box sprung open and he let out a shrill holler of triumph as he dove into it and pulled out the piece of paper that was in there.

“A note?” He pondered out loud. Felix fell to his knees beside him and showed him his own note.

“Two notes.” He corrected.

Jack felt someone move and he looked over to see a female doctor lifting one of the needles and she flicked it experimentally. She had no remorse or apology in her eyes when she lowered the needle to his arm and looked for a vein. Just as the cold metal point touched his skin he felt his voice return to him. Maybe it was fear of the unknown that compelled him to speak, but he didn’t really know.

“What’s… What is it?” He croaked. She stopped and glanced up at him through her lashes.

“It’s best you don’t know.” She replied cryptically and he bit his lip. The needle itself didn’t hurt much, but the burning sensation that followed and spread through his arm was worse. He tried to focus on his breathing, keeping it calm and steady to distract himself from the burning. It even started to itch and Jack wanted nothing more than to scratch himself senseless after just a few minutes.

Felix and Aaron read the notes over a few times. The first one read, _‘Look beneath the surface, where you’ll find a number or two, what are they?’_ and the other was less horribly vague than that one, _‘Every 5 minutes he meets a needle, how many minutes have you had?’_

“Needle… This one must be about Jack.” Felix thought and Aaron nodded.

“We haven’t been in here long,” He shut the box and placed the key on top, “He couldn’t have gotten more than one right?”

“I don’t want to think about it too much,” Felix said quietly, “What do you think it means by beneath the surface?”

“Maybe… under the floor?”

“There’s no way we can get under this shit.” Felix knocked his knuckles against the smooth floor.

“Then the walls maybe? It’s all tiled.”

Felix nodded and got to his feet. Aaron followed, but instead of inspecting the wall he went over to the door. It’s not a key they needed, but a code. A number or two, he wondered, we need to find the numbers for the code? Felix shouted in shock and Aaron nearly gave himself whiplash twisting his head to look at his Swedish friend. Felix was holding a tile in his hand, staring at the now bare space just below the metal hole where the key had come from. Etched into the wall was two numbers, 2 and 9.

“Check the other three,” Aaron said, reverting his attention back to the code pad, “Something’s not right…”

“6 and 4.” Felix said.

“No… The code only has four digits. Are there numbers under the other hole?”

Felix jogged over to the last hole and he pulled the tile just below it off with ease, and there were two more numbers. Aaron’s shoulders slumped in defeat. He thought they were onto something. Felix read the numbers out, “8, 3, 1, 6.”

“Great…” Aaron mumbled dryly.

“Wait, let me just check in the hole, we didn’t look in this one after we found those keys.” Felix shoved his hand into the hole without hesitation, his brow furrowing as his fingers found a smooth mound fixed to the side of the hole, “Is this a… button?” He pushed it.

They both heard a beeping and the small tinted window in the door became alight with red numbers. It was a timer. _09:32_ and counting. It was how long they’d been in there for. Aaron looked back at Felix with a pale, slack expression. Jack was about to get a second chemical injected into his body. Aaron desperately punched in the four numbers that Felix had last read out, but instead of opening the door it only turned off the lights, plunging them into darkness except for a neon white line leading from the doors and the chests to a single point on the floor by one of the unopened chests.

Jack wasn’t expecting the next needle. He had his eyes shut tight as he tried ignoring the unbearable burning itch that was at its worst on the juncture between his upper and lower arms. The needle came and went quickly and painlessly like the previous one, but this time it took a while for anything to happen. He could _feel_ it coursing through him, freezing cold and biting him from the inside. It took barely a minute for it to hit his heart and he screamed out in pain, the feeling could only be described as an ice pick being thrust into his chest and twisted around mercilessly. He struggled against the restraints and screamed until the pain faded and beads of sweat rolled down his forehead and his neck.

“What do you think it is?” Felix asked and Aaron shrugged, but caught himself when he remembered Felix couldn’t see him.

“I don’t know, but I think it’s a clue.” He said. The pair of them walked towards it, careful not to bump into each other. They kneeled down by the point where all the lines met and when Aaron lifted his hand off the ground he realized that he left a white handprint behind. He pursed his lips and thought for a moment.

“Felix, what were the first four numbers? 2 and…”

“9.” Felix quipped, “Why?”

Aaron reached down and with one finger he wrote the two numbers in the empty space beside the point. Just as he thought, his skin on the strange floor allowed the numbers to be written in neon white. They suddenly glowed green and there was a whirring sound as the floor parted. Felix felt around for the hole and once his hand was in, he instantly felt the cold metal of a key against his fingers and then another one.

“Two more keys,” Felix announced, “For the other two boxes!”

“Give me one.” Aaron all but demanded, blindly reaching for his friend. He looked at the time. It was a couple of minutes before Jack would get another ‘test’. He crawled over to the wall and felt along it until he came across the unopened box. Luckily, the key worked and he groped about the inside of the box to find another note. By the exasperated sound Felix made he guessed that it was the same on the other side.

“We can’t read them now!” Felix shouted angrily. Aaron huffed.

“Maybe we could use the lights on the floor, you wanker.” He said and he could hear Felix breathe an embarrassed ‘oh’. The both of them scurried over to the lines and flattened the paper over the light they emitted. It was easy to see the thick black marker.

_“Do you know the date? Do you know the year? Do you know a birthday?”_ Aaron read out slowly, “A birthday? D’you think that means Jack’s birthday?”

“I don’t know, but this says ‘ _The right answer is three needles’_ and that does not really build my confidence much.”

“Shit,” Aaron hissed, “Jack’s birthday. I know it…” He looked at the time. It’s been 15 minutes since they started the test. That’s a third chemical.

Jack was practically begging them to leave him be when he saw them lift the needle with the bright green liquid to his neck. He felt someone hold his head, but he couldn’t see them through the tears that blurred his vision. This needle was thick, painful and it made him feel sick to his stomach. The sickness only got worse the more time went on. He felt bile rise in his throat and it stung when he tried to push it down. Every now and then his fingers would spasm or his muscles would twitch. This one was sending him into a panic; he needed to puke, but he couldn’t even move.

Aaron begrudgingly punched in Jack’s birthday and the lights flickered back on. The door didn’t open, but the timer stopped. They turned around to blink in shock at the sight of a screen coming out of the opposite wall. They shared a look, with eyes narrowed. The screen suddenly came to life and their jaws nearly hit the floor. The video showed Jack strapped to a table, his voice breaking as he pleaded for the doctors not to hurt him. Felix couldn’t look away as they injected him with strange looking chemicals and Aaron flinched away, unable to keep looking as they did it three times and Jack began to convulse and struggle against the straps holding him down.

“Stop it!” Aaron cried out, hitting the metal door, “I don’t want to see it! Leave him alone! LET US GO!”

Felix had to pull Aaron into a bear hug, pinning his hands to his sides, to stop him from breaking his hand on the door. Aaron was very nearly crying into his chest and Felix forced his own tears away as Jack’s screamed faded away and the door opened, Guards pouring in like cockroaches and dragging the two of them away. The Director didn’t say anything to them as they were taken back to their cells, but gave them a sinister smile that made them both want to rip his head from his shoulders. Mark was pacing the cell when they got back and he immediately grew worried when Aaron stormed in and punched the wall. Mark had never seen the friendly Brit so angry in his life.

“What happened…?” He ventured to ask as Aaron fell back against the wall and slid down to gather his knees in his arms.

“Jack’s not okay.” Felix’s voice was hoarse and he looked exhausted, “We had to… We had to escape a room, but it was like a, um, puzzle? And every five minutes we were in there, Jack got… He got injected with these chemicals. But to escape we had to put in the code that meant Jack had to get three extra injections… We had to watch…”

“Fuck…” Mark sank down onto the bed, running his hands down his face, “He’s going to be so messed up.”

“I’d be surprised if he wasn’t.” Felix muttered and sat down next to Mark, “He doesn’t deserve this. He’s JackSepticEye, happy-go-lucky, Irish bastard that loves cake.” By the end of the sentence Felix had choked.

“Yeah. He is. I can’t bear to see him so broken…” Mark put his face in his hands. They sat in silence for too long. Jack should have been brought back.

They didn’t expect Jack to be brought back being carried bridal style by one of the guards with his head hanging back and his limbs swinging limply as he was carried. Mark was the first to react, rushing to the cell door and taking Jack from the Guard as quickly as he could. The Director watched with cold eyes as the American man laid Jack down on the bed with such gentle carefulness. He touched Jacks cheek gingerly, the pin prick needle holes in his neck.

“You completed the test in the fastest time yet.” The Director said, “Congratulations.” Nobody said anything, nor did they even grace him with acknowledgement as he left them on their own.

“Is he… Is he breathing?” Aaron inquired softly. Mark checked his pulse and sighed in relief as he felt the beating under his fingers.

“He’s alive and breathing.” Mark confirmed. Jack cracked his eyes open while they conversed and he tried to talk, but his throat was try and hot.

“M-Mark…?” He whispered. Mark spun around to face him and he smiled down at the Irishman warmly.

“Hey,” He said equally as quietly, “You’re okay, you’re back with all of us.”

“Are… Are they… o-okay?” Mark nodded and shuffled to the side a little so Jacks glassy eyes could lock onto the two friends that were watching hopefully.

“Oh, thank God you’re okay, Jack,” Aaron breathed, looking relieved.

“I feel sick,” Jack managed to say, “My arms burning.”

“Let’s see,” Mark took Jacks wrist in his hand and pulled it away from where it rested on his chest. Jack hissed in pain and Mark shot him an apologetic look before he saw the brunets arm. He grimaced. The skin at the junction was vibrantly red raw with nasty black veins exploding outwards from the puncture that sat in the middle of it all.

“Is it… b-bad?” Jack questioned. Mark swallowed and placed Jacks hand back on his chest.

“Its fine, Jack. Get some rest.”

“Hm… Okay… Can you sleep… here?” Mark smiled and clambered onto the bed by Jacks side just as his friend started to drift back into unconsciousness.

“I’ll wake you up when they bring food, okay?”

Jack just hummed in response.

Nobody had much of an idea just how bad things were going to get from there.


End file.
